Cherry & Cranberry Conserve
Using tart cranberries to add in pectin also enlivens the taste of the cherries – this conserve is delicious stirred into meaty gravies and sauces served with roast turkey, duck, other poultry or pork. It also works on the side of roast dinner dishes instead of a plain cranberry sauce or conserve, the cherries giving it a lovely balance.
Cherry & Cranberry Conserve Recipe
Makes about 1.3 Kg of conserve to pot. The cranberries must be cooked until tender, before the sugar is added, otherwise they will become tough.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 350g fresh cranberries
- 1Kg cherries (pitted)
- 50g blackcurrant jam (previously made from your stores)
- juice of 2 lemons
- 250m1/8f1 oz!1 cup water
- 1 .3 Kg jam sugar (with added pectin) warmed
Recipe Method:
Put the cranberries in a food coarsely chopped. Add to a pan with the pitted cherries, blackcurrant jam and lemon juice. Add the water to the pan. Cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20—30 minutes, or until the cranberries are very tender.
Add the jam sugar to the pan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then cook for 10 minutes, or to the setting point (105°C/220°F).
Remove the pan from the heat and skim off any scum and impurities rising to the top using a slotted spoon. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then stir gently and pour into warmed sterilized jars. Seal, label and store.